Send "Elvin Bishop " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pastemagazine |
 Elvin Bishop’s cherry red 1959 Gibson ES-345 howls over meandering blues in the opening track of his newest album, leaving no question as to why it’s earned the name Red Dog and how well it can speak. Red Dog Speaks journeys through old-timey blues and rock ‘n’ roll to zydeco with an all-star roster of contributors that includes Tommy Castro, Johnny Németh and Buckwheat Zydeco. Bishop’s own journey is evident in the down-home storytelling and varied styles. From the crooning blues of “Red Dog Speaks,” Bishop transitions into the rollicking “Neighbor Neighbor” with Németh providing vocals alongside the husky whine of the trusty Gibson. Bishop mostly abandons lyrical complexity in favor of guitar work and solid ensemble playing, but the lyrical interludes on “Fat and Sassy” are almost distracting in their quirkiness: “So much pumpkin pie til it was a sin / And a twenty-two pound turkey that’ll never fly again.” Bishop has another example of timeless blues under his belt, but it’s best when he lets Red Dog do the talking....full text |
| Writercwross.wordpress |
| With over 45 years of playing music under his belt Elvin Bishop may be starting to look a little long-in-the-tooth, but man can he still play that guitar of his. The title of his latest release isn’t lying when it says that, ‘Red Dog Speaks’. Red Dog is Elvin’s cherry red 1959 Gibson ES-345 guitar that’s pictured on the release’s cover. The saying goes that after awhile people start looking like their animals, especially dogs. I think Elvin and his guitar share a lot of similarities and if he could be reincarnated as Red Dog I think that he would be a very happy man. ‘Red Dog Speaks’ is a combination of 5 original great story telling style songs from Elvin plus several songs from other greats like, Jimmy Cliff, Otis Spamm, and Leroy Carr. The first track found on the album is also the releases title track, “Red Dog Speaks”. On the song Elvin talks lovingly about his guitar as if it was his child or best friend- probably both of which are true in his mind. And the fact that no matter where he went or what he did he always had ‘Red Dog’ at his side and still does today. For me the title track, “Red Dog Speaks” alone makes this release worth buying but there’s so much more great music also found on it including, “Neighbor Neighbor”, an up tempo track about a nosey neighbor, “Fat & Sassy”, that offers up some nice horn work. Want some boogie in your music then get shaking to the instrumental track, “Barbecue Boogie”. The track, “Blues Cruise”, brings one of my favorite styles of music to the party, Zydeco with special guest, Buckwheat Zydeco’s lively accordion playing. Also joining Elvin on the song are guitarist, Tommy Castro and Ronnie Baker Brooks. In the mood for some 50′s Doo-Wop? Then give the track, “Doo-Wop Medley” a listen. “Clean Livin’”, is a nice story telling track. Awhile back there was a popular country song with the line, ‘bad dog, no biscuit,’ Well Elvin’s ‘Red Dog’ deserves a whole truckload of biscuits for all of its ‘good dog’ playing found on this release....full text |
| Indexdownload |
| ‘Red Dog Speaks’ follows 2008′s ‘The Blues Rolls On, ‘ which earned him a Grammy nomination and four 2009 Blues Music Award nominations. ‘Red Dog Speaks’ features five new Bishop originals plus songs by Jimmy Cliff, Otis Spann, Leroy Carr, and others. The title track tells the story of his ’59 Gibson Stereo ES 345 guitar, nicknamed “Red Dog.” The album proves full of hooks and humor as well, such as on Bishop’s “Fat And Sassy.” Buckwheat Zydeco lends his accordion to “Blues Cruise” which also features excellent guitar work by Tommy Castro and Ronnie Baker Brooks; the track was recorded live on the high seas. The traditional gospel tune “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” gets the Bishop slide treatment. He plays solo on “Clean Livin’, ” a reflection on his younger lifestyle and a highlight of the album. Bishop is a slide guitar great with 45-years of blues under his belt. Rolling Stone has praised his “careening slide and razor-edged bursts, all delivered with unflagging enthusiasm and wit.” He is a founding member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and recorded three groundbreaking albums with the group. After launching a solo career, Bishop’s 1976 single “Fooled Around and Fell In Love, ” still in heavy rotation on classic rock radio, reached number three on Billboard’s Pop Singles chart, pushing the album ‘Struttin’ My Stuff’ to number 18 on the Pop Albums chart. He has performed on recordings by John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, and The Allman Brothers Band, among many others. On stage, he’s wielded his guitar to accompany the likes of John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix, Big Joe Williams, Little Walter, Junior Wells, Albert Collins, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes and many others. Blues Revue has called Bishop “head and shoulders – and slide guitar – above the rest.” Tracklist: 1. Red Dog Speaks [4:47] 2. Neighbor Neighbor [3:07] 3. Fat & Sassy [4:34] 4. Barbecue Boogie [2:45] 5. Many Rivers To Cross [3:50] 6. Blues Cruise [3:24] 7. Doo-Wop Medley [3:59] 8. Get Your Hand Out Of My Pocket [2:55] 9. His Eye Is On The Sparrow [3:29] 10. Clean Livin’ [2:42] 11. Midnight Hour Blues [4:17] Elvin Bishop (Guitar, Vocals, Slide Guitar), Ronnie Baker Brooks (Guitar), Buckwheat Zydeco (Accordion), Kid Anderson (Guitar). Roy Gaines (Guitar, Vocals), Terry Hanck (Tenor Sax), John Nemeth (Harmonica, Vocals), Mike Schermer (Rhythm Guitar), Snakebite (Tenor Sax), Tommy Castro (Guitar), Bobby Cochran (Drums), June Core (Drums), Ruth Davies (Bass), Tom Poole (Trumpet),Bob Welsh (Guitar, Piano, Keyboards), R.C. Carrier (Rubboard), Sir Reginald Dural (Rubboard), Ed Earley (Trombone, Tambourine, Vocals)....full text |
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